Columbus vs Little Rock
by David N. Brown
Summary: Semi-random vignettes, set in gaps in the "Vegas Saga".  David N. Brown resides in Mesa, Arizona.
1. Name Game

**I thought of this as a "bridge" between chapters 2 and 3 of "Trip to Vegas".**

Week 16, Day 3

Columbus awoke with a stiff back, among other things. He stepped out and took care of several bodily functions, all the while cursing himself for not waking up next to the woman he loved. He got back in the driver's seat, slamming the door angrily. Wichita sat up. "Oh- sorry," he told her.

"Don't be," she said. She moved to a sitting position, and leaned forward to run her fingers through his hair. "You know... my answer's still `yes'." He leaned back, and she began to rub his back.

Week 13

Columbus and Wichita walked back to the SUV, after 20 minutes in a rest stop bathroom. He had his arm around her. She had a prim expression and bearing, but hints of a flush. "Remember, you don't tell Tal about this."

"Yeah," he said. He could see the older man smirking at them from 30 feet away. "No problem."

"You understand you're still a virgin, right?" she said. He nodded. "It doesn't mean you're my boyfriend, either. It just means I- appreciate you." He kissed her. She kissed back, then disentangled herself. "Look, I need to go use the- ladies' bathroom. So, why don't you just wait in the car?" He nodded and went back to the SUV. He surveyed the landscape: Tal was nowhere in sight. He got in the car, buckled in and let out something between a sigh and a whistle. He yelped when he was rapped behind the ear with the handle of Bill Murray's golf club. Only then did he see Little Rock in the back.

"Keep your hands off my sister," she said succinctly.  
"I wasn't the only one using hands," he muttered with a smirk. She hit him again, a little harder.

"I'm thirteen, not three," she said. "I know how things work, and I know what you did, and I know you aren't good for Wichita. Oh, and by the way- her name's not Krista."

"Really?" he said. She nodded confidently. "Then how did you know that was the name she told me?"

"She doesn't just pull them out of her *, idiot." She poked his neck. "She has different names, and she gives different names to different people. You're the kind of guy she'd want to call her Krista."

"I can always ask her, you know," he said.

"Really?" She deftly managed a painful ear flick. "Then she will know you don't trust her _or _me."

She gave him a sound bonk on the top of his head. He grabbed for the club, unsuccessfully, then undid the belt and turned to reach for her. She reversed the club and brandished the head in warning.

"What the * is your problem?" he shouted indignantly. "I've tried to be nice to you, and you _were_ nice to me. But ever since I kissed Wichita you've been mean when we're alone and given me the cold shoulder the rest of the time. What is it? You think I'm not good enough for her?"

She struck, not at him but at the door, and did it hard enough to dent the metal. Columbus half-rose, now staring in outright shock. "You don't get it!" she screeched. "You know what it means when she tells a guy her name's Krista? It means she really _likes_ him. And if the guy's smart- but they hardly ever are- he bails. Because no matter how hard she tries, my sister is even worse for the guys she stays with than the ones she robs and leaves. I love her, but I _know_ her, and deep down she knows that as well as I do. So get a clue, and get out!" She abruptly lowered the club.

"Hey, guys," Wichita said as she got in the "shotgun" seat. "What have you been doing?"

"Playing the quiet game," Little Rock said with a smirk.

"I love you, Krista," Columbus said. Wichita paused, then leaned forward and kissed him on the shoulder. She sighed, but said nothing. He lifted her hand and kissed it. Then she said: "Thank you."

**Incidentally, the opening line of my first draft was changed very late. Even as it is, I don't suppose I left that much to the imagination...**


	2. Second Chance

**More of that "bridge", some of which I drafted the first time through. **

They spent the night in a cabin on a California mountainside. At Wichita's suggestion, they let Tal and Wichita take the bedroom, while they set up for a "pajama party" in the living room. He waited anxiously (_sans_ pants) for her to emerge from the bathroom. When she came out, she was wearing a very large T-shirt, and nothing else unless it was underneath. "So, what now?" he said, his tone wavering between excitement and exasperation. "Do we kiss, fight, talk, make love?"

"To start with," she said, "sit down." She threw herself down on the couch, crossing her legs before he could get a good look between them. Columbus sat down beside her. After a long silence, he said:

"I want you to tell me something. I think making love should be something special. I'm sure you think so, too, or you wouldn't have held back as much as you did. But last night, you agreed to marry me... you almost made love to me... then this morning you wouldn't say you loved me. Why? Just tell me, why?"

She groaned. "Look... Columbus... The way I grew up, I didn't dream about falling madly in love with Prince Charming. I dreamed about shacking up with a guy I could feel safe around, have some fun with, and maybe give me a place where I can turn the lights on without seeing roaches running for cover. The whole `bad boy' thing... I got into it because those kinds of guys can at least take care of themselves, and don't come with strings attached. I never saw myself needing to be in love, and maybe I've never really understood what love is supposed to be about. All I know... is I really care about you, and I want to be with you. I'd f- _make love _to you for that, but I won't lie to you. Is that enough?"

Columbus stared into space. "I didn't think that much about falling in love, either," he said absentmindedly. "What I thought about was finding someone who cared about me. I decided, maybe that's what love is." He reached out and stroked her leg. She clasped his hand. They kissed. Then she reached out and knocked over a lamp.

Tal and Little Rock lay on the bed, the man resting his head on the backboard and the girl lying prone with her legs intermittently swinging in the air. They were watching the only programming they could find on TV, which was "That 70s Show" in Spanish. Shouts could be heard from the living room. "I think Wichita shot Jackie while we were at Pacific Playland," Little Rock said.

"Hold on," said Tal. "Did you just hear a crash?" He did not need to listen closely to hear the sound of breaking glass- followed by a loud laugh.

"OO! They're having another smashing contest!" Little Rock said. She started to rise. Tal took hold of her ankle.

"I think your sister and Columbus want the living room to themselves," he said.

"Oh, Wichita doesn't do that."

"You sure?" Tal said with a smirk.

"Of course I'm sure. She always says, do things _for_ the boys, not _with_ them..." Tal narrowly avoided a spit take. There was another crash, more laughter and then a female shriek and a decidedly muffled male cry. Little Rock barged out and shouted, "Okay McSkinny, what are you doing to my sister?"

The living room was a scene of carnage against china. In the middle of the living room, Columbus and Wichita wrestled on cushions removed from the couch. She had pinned his head between her thighs, and he didn't seem the least bit unhappy about it. She smiled at her sister. "I'm pretty sure I'm doing it to him," she said. "So, are you going to give us some privacy, or did you want to watch?" Little Rock screeched and retreated.


	3. Phobias

**A little more autobiography, but I really think this is how Columbus would look at things...**

Day 4

As midafternoon came and went, Columbus and Wichita napped on the couch, heels to head. Or, rather, Wichita slept, while her husband (they had agreed that what they had done- twice- made them husband and wife) gazed at her. She wore shorts, which were just enough to nurse a smoldering ember of lust. He kissed her ankle, and let one stubbly cheek rub against her calf. She smiled in her sleep, and spread her legs. As he considered the possibilities this raised, he heard a cry from outside: "Help!" It was Little Rock. Wichita's eyes opened immediately, but he was up first. The cry came again: "Help! Columbus!"

He patted her leg. "I'll go see what she wants," he said, knowing from her expression that he had used exactly the wrong tone of voice.

"What is it?" he said as he ran onto the porch.

Little Rock pointed at the rail, and with a hint of glee said: "There's a spider!"

Columbus bent down. "Yeah," he said, "it's a tarantula, not grown... No, actually, it's a _Calisoga_." He bent down for a closer look.

"But- it's a giant spider!"

"Tarantulas are bigger," Columbus said, "though these are more aggressive."

Little Rock's expression changed by increments from disappointment to disbelief. "They're poisonous, aren't they?"

He shrugged. "No more than a bee, and a lot less than a black widow."

"Are you going to kill it?"

"No. Why would I want to?" He took one more look at the spider, then turned to go back to his bride.

"Wait a minute!" Little Rock said, firmly enough to make him pause. "You're afraid of clowns... bathrooms... used washcloths... babies... but you aren't afraid of spiders??"

He turned back. "Come take a look at it." Little Rock wrinkled her nose in distaste, but obeyed, leaning low enough to look directly at the spider's eyes. "You see those mandibles? Those are what it uses to eat bugs: flies, roaches, wasps, caterpillars. Bugs that sting, eat food, spread disease, and cause a lot more trouble than any spider. That's why people should leave them alone. And do you notice something else?"

"They're all furry," Little Rock said.

"Yeah. You know what I thought it looked like, the first time I saw a spider like that? An old man with a big, bushy beard." Little Rock looked, then stifled a giggle. He patted her shoulder. "I bet you'll never look at a spider again without thinking of that."

"Columbus?" she said as he turned the door knob. "You're a sweet guy." As he smiled, she added softly, "But you still aren't good for Krista."

As he hesitated on the threshold, the door opened from within. Wichita kissed him. "Listen," she said, "it's about time to start thinking about dinner. So why don't you go shave, and then see what's in the pantry, while we look for Tal."

He embraced her and patted her rear. "Sounds good. I can have dinner ready in 45." As his footsteps faded into the house, the sisters moved face to face, glaring daggers at each other.

**Next: Cat Fight!**

**Incidentally, I didn't know about Caligosa until I decided to look up California tarantulas. When I thought of the gag, I couldn't resist.**


	4. Sisterly War

**When I wrote this scene, I thought of the "Twisted Metal" chapter of "the Rookie". I pictured "Duel of the Fates" from Star Wars Ep. 1 as accompaniment. And, I laughed a lot.**

"What the hell are you doing?" Wichita said.

"What the * are you doing?" Little Rock said. "Don't you go for, you know, bad boys?"

"It's not the same," Wichita said.

"Really? Then how is it different?"

"I'm _in love _with him!" Wichita flicked away a tear, then steeled herself and pressed home: "I thought you would be **happy** for me."

Little Rock crossed her arms and sneered. "`In love'? I think they call it an o-r-"

Wichita smirked. "Try five."

"**EW.**" Little Rock shook off her hands as if they were soiled. "Whatever. You still don't really love him."

"What do you know about love? You're _twelve_."

"Twelve and ten months! And he knows your name isn't Krista. He knew it even before I told him. `"Krista" with a "k"'? Who wouldn't see through that one?"

"Well, he _accepts_ me."

"I know you hit on Tal first! Think he'd accept you if I told him that?"

Wichita flushed purple with anger. "Well, I know you broke up our dance on purpose! `Fort'? You haven't done that since you were nine! And that was when you were playing with a five-year-old and a three-year-old!"

"Well, Tal was in on it! That's right, after you offered him everything! How would you like it if the last _two_ men on Earth both turned you down?"

"_Columbus loves me!" _

"What do you know about love?? You didn't even know your dad!"

"Well, at least my dad didn't leave me!"

"Yeah, well, maybe that's just what your mom wanted you to think!"

"_Well, **you aren't my sister!**"_

They both stared in shock, Wichita looking even more dismayed for saying it. Then they fell in each other's arms and cried. "You know I'll always love you," Wichita said.

"Yes, and I love you too!" said Little Rock. "And I know you really like Columbus... I like him too."

"I know whatever happened with your mom and dad, it wasn't your fault."

As they walked into the woods, Little Rock said, "About- you know... Does that really happen... you know, first try?"

"Well, I did most of the work..."

"_Ew_... Huh."


	5. Wichita vs Predator

**Fair warning... This gets pretty naughty.**

Columbus and Wichita spooned on the couch watching _Sabado Gigante_ on the living room TV. "Seventh worst thing about Z-Land," Wichita said, "all the TV shows are in Spanish."

Columbus kissed her. "Best thing about Zombieland," he said, "I met you." They kissed again, and she raised one leg.

"Move over," Little Rock said. Columbus sat up abruptly. His bride scooted into his lap, keeping her legs stretched out. Her sister plopped down on the far end of the couch. "What else is on?"

"Predator's on channel 37," said Wichita, stretching.

"In Spanish?"

Wichita nodded. Columbus said, "Actually, Portuguese."

"Cool. So, wait... who speaks Portuguese?"

"193 million Brazilians," said Columbus absentmindedly. "And the Portuguese."

"If there's a Portuguese station in Mexico, does that mean Brazilians are moving there?"

"Could be," Columbus said. He changed the channel, to tune in to the Governator wiping green slime off a palm frond. Little Rock recited the line from memory: "If it bleeds, we can kill it!"

Columbus shifted. He was definitely uncomfortable. He liked having his wife in his lap very much, but it was giving him feelings he was in no position to do anything about. Partway through the Predator's nighttime raid on the commandos' camp, Wichita shifted a little, and then burst into giggles.

"What?" said Little Rock. "What's so funny?" Her sister was red in the face, while Columbus was turning white. She screeched and drew back. "_Ewww!_ I'm sitting right here, you freak!"

"Yeah," Columbus said, "but she's sitting right here."

"My bad," Wichita said, sitting up to rest on one of his knees. "He can't help it, he's a guy. And be nice to your brother-in-law."

"`Brother-in-law'? You never had a wedding."

"Well, there wasn't exactly a priest or a justice around."

"Yeah, but going to bed with a guy doesn't mean you're _married_ all of a sudden!"

"Could we talk about something else?" Columbus half-mumbled.

Little Rock relented: "Do you, well, need to be alone?"

"No," Columbus said with a sigh, "not right now." He let himself relax, easing his body down, and before too long he was actually enjoying the movie, and especially Little Rock's voice-over, sometimes of the original dialogue, and sometimes of ad libbed lines, such as, "If it farts, we can smell it!" Columbus laughed aloud. Soon, Wichita started to feel left out.

As the film entered the final confrontation, Columbus felt a leg cramp building. To prevent an outright spasm, he let a semi-voluntary twitch start, which set his whole leg vibrating. Wichita pursed her lips and straightened her back. Little Rock said, "I think that's gotta be the coolest monster ever."

"It was made by Stan Winston," Columbus said. "He did _Terminator, Aliens_ and _Jurassic Park_ too." They cheered, laughed and joked as Arnold fought the creature. But Wichita was oddly silent, except the occasional click of her teeth as she bounced on her husband's knee, a blank but oddly intense look on her face.

"You'd think the radiation would get him," Little Rock said as Arnie narrowly escaped a nuclear blast.

"Well, he might survive the blast," Columbus said. "Then after a few days, all his hair would fall out, he'd get big sores and get to sick to move, then he'd die."

"Wow, that'd make an interesting alternate ending," Little Rock said. Her sister suddenly gave a stifled groan. "Wichita?"she said in concern.

"Krista?" Columbus said, sounding more curious. His wife abruptly swore and toppled to the floor.

"Are you okay?" Little Rock said, stooping beside Wichita. Her sister was looking only at her husband. Little Rock looked to Columbus, who had a slowly growing, sly smirk on his face.

"EEEWWW!!!" Little Rock bolted right out the front door.


	6. First Time

Week 16, Day 7

Columbus and Wichita were sleeping on the couch again. Little Rock had ensconced herself in the bedroom, and was not even letting Tal in. The couple lay head to foot. They had not made love that day, and if they did not it would be the first day of their honeymoon to pass without it. She wanted to preserve the "streak", but for the time being, he was content to stroke her legs occasionally while he read. Before taking action, she decided to try setting a suitable mood. "Columbus," she said, "why did you fall in love with me?" She was surprised, and soon upset, when his immediate response was to frown and furrow his brow.

Week 12, day 3

Columbus smiled as the Hummer returned to pick him and Tallahassee up again. The girls both stepped out. "You get to ride shotgun," Wichita said, waving to him. He obeyed. Then she covered Tallahassee until he followed Little Rock into the backseat. She paused and looked at him before turning the key in the ignition. "Do you need water? Maybe something to eat?"

"No," he said, looking surprised. As she started the car, he began to smile. "So, what were you doing before this started.

Wichita recognized the beginnings of a crush, and tried to say something that would put it out of its misery: "Well, we were driving between lower midwest crap holes, running this con: I would be the hot, innocent rich girl in distress who was just desperate to get her valuable engagement ring, and Little Rock would follow up as the cute, spunky white trash kid who wanted a reward for the ring she found. We got more than 2500 dollars for 300 in shoplifted costume jewelry." She laughed, then decided the laugh was too much. "That was to get enough money to travel to California, and try to move in with some family. Before that, we only did small stuff to cover food and gas." Then, to round out the image of a basically decent but tough and definitely out of reach young woman: "Before that, we were in Midwest Crap Hole Central, until we got out with my learner's permit and a new convertible."

He nodded, eyes wide, but showed no sign of surprise or disgust. "Where were you when this started?"

"Tulsa, Oklahoma," she said.

"Wow," he said. "Did you get out before-"

"No," she said flatly. Seeing that his interest had been neither discouraged nor turned to morbid curiosity, she continued, "We got out during the final evacuation attempt. By then, the zombies were actually thinning out, but the fires, the accidents... those were getting worse. We totalled our convertible getting to a National Guard checkpoint. Once we passed the blood tests, we went to a refugee camp in Missouri. We might have been better off taking our chances in Tulsa. The camp was terrible. In less than two days, we both got food poisoning, I got robbed, my sister almost got jumped by one of the guards, and I almost got put in lockup for hitting the guard. We managed to bribe and sneak our way out of the camp, just in time. On top of everything else, somehow they let one of the infected through. The first alarm sounded just before we left. By the time we got out of sight of the place, the Air Force was already bombing the place flat; not that it did any good."

"Wow," he said again. "You... You really take care of each other."

"Of course," she said, "we're sisters."

"I guess you care about other people, too," he said. "Thank you, Wichita."

Wichita nodded as her husband recounted the memory. "But what was special about that?"

"I could tell you weren't dumb or stuck-up, like the girls I used to meet at college," he said, "and, you were kind to me."

"So, what, you fell in love with me just because I was nice to you?" she said incredulously.

He nodded. "From my experience... most people aren't nice, to me at least, even without a zombie plague to worry about."

She rose abruptly from the couch. He sat up, looking greatly distressed, but did not get up to follow her, as she had hoped. She halted and turned back, suddenly fearful. In her fear, she went on the offensive. "You know what I wanted then?" she said. "I wanted to convince you to get as far away from me as you could, as fast as you could." He looked sad but not surprised. He was even less surprised when she turned, took a few steps and looked back. "You know something else? When you still wanted to be with me, even with what I'd done to you and what you knew I'd done- that's when I started falling in love with you. She covered the rest of the distance and slammed the door behind her.

In the time it took for Columbus to read another chapter, the door opened again, and feet padded toward him. "Hi, Little Rock," he said without looking up.


	7. Regrets

"She says she wants you to come to bed," Little Rock said.

Columbus nodded. "Tell her I'm coming. Not right now."

Little Rock turned back, and whispered briefly. Then she returned and sat down beside him. "She says she needs you, soon," she said. He sighed and started to put down the book. His sister-in-law touched his arm. "Wait. She means what she says, she won't lie to you. But going to her won't give her what she needs, or even what's good for her."

"What do you want me to do?" he said. "She's my wife. I committed to her, and she committed to me. It's too late for either of us to back out."

"It might be later than you think," Little Rock said. "What are you using for birth control?"

"She said she had it taken care of," Columbus said guardedly.

"She counts. That's all. She's not that good at it, either." She blushed. "She learned just to know when to buy, y'know, lady stuff? Once I needed it a week early, and we had to make an emergency run... I swear, closest we ever got to getting arrested."

Columbus did not look alarmed or particularly surprised. "I'll talk to her about it."

"There's something else you should know," Little Rock said. "I heard what you told her, but you got it wrong. She wasn't the one who decided to pick you up. I was."

He looked very sad, but still not surprised. "What are you trying to say? She doesn't care about me?"

"_Of course _she cares," the girl said. "But she did what she did because she felt guilty. Now that she knows you, she feels even worse about it. As long as she's with you, that feeling will still be there, hurting her."

"Well, so * what?" Columbus said. "How do you think I feel? Do you know how many people I had to hurt for just a chance to stay alive? Shooting Bill Murray wouldn't make top five of the terrible things I did. But pulling away from people won't fix anything. I know; I tried, even before the zombies came. The best thing, the only thing anybody can do is find the people they really care about, and build up from there."

She gave him a hard stare, but said nothing. After a few moments, he said, "Did you tell her to go back?"

"I didn't need to."

He reached out and brushed back her hair. "That's why you are together," he said. She flinched a little at his touch, and especially at his soulful gaze. For a moment, she thought he would try to kiss her, and she wasn't sure she would stop him. But he only sat back, and finished: "You remind her how to care." He started to get up.

"Where are you going?" He turned his eyes toward the bedroom door. "After what I just told you??"

"She's my wife," he said, almost apologetically.

"Good god! Get- _whatever!_" Little Rock stormed out the door.


	8. Castroville

**This fic is possible additions to the Vegas saga, and this particular installment is opening up a possible revision- or just reinterpretation- of a "Fear and Loafing" story arc. Comments welcome: Who thinks this way would be better?**

Wichita, wearing only her extra-oversized T-shirt, rocked back and forth on her husband's vibrating knee. He held her hands behind her back. "Oh g-god-d!" She arced her spine and stretched her arms further. He bent forward and kissed the back of her neck. "Oh-h-h f-f-fu-fu-!!" She tilted back her head for a kiss on the lips.

When they both had had enough, he lay back on the bed while she lay facedown, her chin in her hands at the foot of the bed. He reached under her shirt just enough for an affectionate pat. "That was good," he said, blushing. "Listen... we love each other." She nodded. "We- like making love."

"No complaints on this end."

"We both agree, we're married. We're going to stay together. Be a family. _Have_ a family."

"Yes," she said without hesitation. Then, slowly, she turned her head just enough to fix on him with a piercing blue eye. "She told."

"She didn't have to."

Wichita assumed a sitting position. "You never asked! You didn't seem interested in waiting, either."

"I was wrong," he said. "We didn't talk before. We can talk now. Are you-?"

"Late?" She sighed. "A little."

"How much?"

"A week. Maybe a week and a half. I've been late before."

"That's a lot." He frowned. "Wait. How-?" His eyes widened.

Week 14

They had driven north, to within sight of San Francisco Bay. After what they had seen, they went south, and took greater care to stay inland and avoid cities. Their course brought them to Monterey County, and to the vast fields of a place called Castroville. Tallahassee halted to examine one of the dead zombies lying the road. After a moment's examination, he chuckled. "What happened?" Little Rock called from the "shotgun" seat.

"They found something they couldn't handle, but couldn't resist," he said. He pried a half-chewed green object from the zombie's hand. "The artichoke: God's greatest edible gift to man- after Twinkies, of course- but God only knows how we ever figured out how to eat 'em."

As they entered the small town, they passed a 10X20 ft concrete sculpture of the town's signature vegetable. "They built a statue?!" Little Rock said. "What's the big deal about artichokes?"

Tal slowed the SUV and pulled into a restaurant. "That's it! We aren't leaving until this poor little girl has had cooked artichokes!" He quickly set about gathering pots, pans, and, of course, artichokes. Columbus and Wichita set off for a motel room with a bottle of wine.

An hour later, they walked back to the restaurant. Wichita held her head high, her stern face almost purple. Columbus walked two or three paces behind, staring mournfully at his shoes. He closed the distance and reached out to put an arm around her waist. "Please don't," she said curtly.

"Okay," he mumbled.

She sighed and took his hand. "Look. You weren't- I mean- It wasn't you. What I mean is- it wasn't your fault. Stuff just happens sometimes. Especially when people are- new. Well, and drunk. The thing to do is chalk it up to experience, and try again later. Not make a big deal." She met his gaze and let go.

At the dinner table, Columbus and Wichita were almost entirely silent, and didn't speak a word to each other. Tal coached Little Rock through removing the leaves, dipping them in butter and stripping off the edible inner part. "It's okay," Little Rock said, "but I still don't see why it's such a big deal."

Wichita planted her head in her hands hard enough to rattle the dishware.

Wichita rolled over laughing at the memory. "Oh, God, that was such a disaster!"

"But- we didn't really- make love," he said persistently. "And you never... had before."

"Yeah, good job not figuring that out."

"So- if anything happened, it couldn't have happened then. So... maybe nothing did."

"Actually-" She hesitated. "It's funny. Well. We did get pretty far- further than I expected, really. Thing is, I've heard stories- sometimes that's enough."

He leaned back and ran his fingers through his hair. "Holy- Do you really think-?"

"I don't know. But I'll tell you something. I didn't play goody twoshoes like you did, but I made sure to hold what mattered to me back. I did it so the first man who had everything from me would be the one who gave me my babies. I always wanted to start young, and have a lot. I figured, as long as I had the right man- I would be ready."

He pulled her up beside him. "Krista- that's not how things work. Even before- People need time to set up a home. Find ways to support themselves. Get used to each other. And now- It's not something we should even think about until we find a safe place to live."

"Really? Then why didn't you wait?" He sighed again. "Listen, I'm willing to go along with whatever you decide. But I'll tell you something. You act like Zombieland means we have to wait longer and plan more before we do anything. But before Zombieland, would you have even thought of being where we are, only a month after we met?"

He laughed nervously. "I'd probably still be trying to decide whether to talk to you."

She snuggled against him. "Let me tell you something else. That first try? I was impressed. I mean, I didn't think you would get that far on the first try. And you really weren't bad. In fact- there were moments when it felt pretty good." His eyes widened, and he smiled. She straddled his lap and kissed him. "Now, tell me honestly. If you knew, as an absolute certainty, that if you got in me now it would get me pregnant- would you do anything different?" He actually paused, but it only took a few moments for him to kiss her hard as he rolled on top of her.


	9. Savior, jerk 1

**This is a double-back from the story arc I've been following here, and may lead to some contradictions. I'm looking at putting "Shoe Shopping", "Trip to Vegas" and at least some of the vignettes of this fic into a short novel format, and thought of this and some other little episodes as bookends for "Shoe Shopping". My idea is to set up an internal conflict for Columbus that he has to resolve by reflecting on his past. Feedback VERY welcome!**

Week 12, day 7

18 hours after escaping Pacific Playland, the four companions were still looking for a way out of the LA metropolitan area. "It took less time than this to cross Arizona," Little Rock complained.

"Yeah," said Tallahassee, "but then, we weren't hemmed in!" He pushed between two wrecks, gritting his teeth as twisted metal scraped the beautiful paint of his black "caddy".

In the back, Columbus and Wichita held hands. Wichita met his gaze again. She had only known the man beside her a week, and it seemed that since he had saved her life, she was seeing a different side of him. There was much to like in the new Columbus... but one thing she didn't like was the way he looked at her. "What?" she said.

He started. "Hm?" He had both of the strings from his jacket in his mouth, and a silly-sad expression. "Oh. Nothing."

She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Are you nervous?"

"Uh. Yeah."

"We'll be okay."

"I know." He leaned back, and sighed. She unbuckled her seatbelt and scooted over to him. As she rested her head on his shoulder, the SUV jolted. Tal laughed as he plowed through a pack of zombies. Wichita was pitched halfway into the front seat, where she hit her head on the gear shift. Tal yelped at a sudden shift in gears, and Wichita swore when he pulled the gearshift back, not only hitting her head again but getting her hair caught in the mechanism. Only Little Rock's quick action with a pair of scissors allowed her sister to get back to her seat without Tallahassee stopping the SUV.

While Wichita clutched at her bruised temple, Little Rock glared at Columbus. "Why didn't you catch her?"

Columbus waved his hands in an exagerated gesture of helplessness. "How? I was buckled in."


	10. Savior, jerk 2: Internal criticism

Week 13, day 1

Wichita awoke at the touch of Columbus's hand on her thigh. She was laid out on the back seat, her head in his lap. She smiled and stretched before opening her eyes, expecting to find him gazing down at her in his annoying but mildly flattering way. Instead, he was gazing at the window frame with a strange look on his face. This was the most exasperating thing about "new Columbus". She still could not decide what to make of his expression. Sadness? Fear? Perhaps anger? She reached up and chucked his chin. He responded as if to an irritating insect. "What's on your mind?" she asked.

"Nothing." He leaned back, and listened, to something he knew no one else could hear...

"This is going to last one month, tops. A week is more like it. Any day now, it could end." It was the Voice. He had never perceived it as sound he actually heard, nor had he ever believed that it came from anywhere but inside his own head. Yet, it was a voice, with tone and pitch and inflection, and it seemed completely beyond his control. It had come in during middle school, and for some reason, it had gone silent by the time he was finishing high school. He thought a retort: _She's kind to me. She's a kind person._

There was laughter in his mind. "You remember the way she looked when she had a gun on you. She liked it. She still would." _No, she's changed. _"No, you just got on her good side. Girls _all_ have a good side. That's why they're the ones who hurt you most. They're all nice, when their best girl friends aren't around, or they need help with science homework, or they're trying to get their old boyfriends jealous. Then they get what they really want, and you're history." Silence. "It's not like you're even her first choice, even in a field of two. You know what she really likes. He has it, you don't. You think she didn't go for him first?" _Shut up._ "Who do you think is doing the talking?"

After lunchtime, Little Rock joined them in the back, inserting herself in the middle seat, squarely between him and Wichita. As evening approached, Little Rock fell asleep on Wichita's shoulder. Wichita glanced at Columbus, and smiled. She then removed her arm from around her sister to reach for him. He reached out and took her hand, and let their joined hands drop to the seat. Little Rocks eyes suddenly opened very wide. "Eeww! You freak!" she screeched at Columbus.

"Whoa! What's the ruckus back there?" Tal said.

"Columbus _touched_ my _butt_!" Little Rock said indignantly.

"It was an accident," Columbus said. He and Wichita drew back their hands as if they had touched a hot stove. Wichita put her head in her hands.

Little Rock looked even more indignant when Tal only chuckled. "Bit of a hazard where you're sitting. Maybe you an' Wichita should trade seats."

Wichita put an arm around her sister. "I'm sure he's very sorry," she said, then looked expectantly at Columbus. A smile became a scowl as he only stared blankly back.

"What?" he said. "It was an accident. What else is there to say?" He then added, wincing even as he spoke, "Besides, it was your idea." Wichita gazed sternly ahead. Little Rock scooted closer to her sister, and gave Columbus an angry and disgusted look. "Shut up," Columbus muttered.

"What??"

"Nothing." Little Rock rested against her sister again. As she closed her eyes, her expression briefly showed as a gleeful, triumphant smirk.


	11. Savior, jerk 3: Questions

**This is the chapter that's going to be most at odds with previous ones, including "Trip to Vegas". I decided to leave it somewhat ambiguous what (or how much) happens.**

Week 13, day 3

Wichita awoke with Columbus resting his head somewhat south of her shoulder. They sat in a backward-facing "rumble seat". The landscape of California peeled away behind them in the rear window. "Wake up, sleepyhead," she said. She was surprised when he sat up very abruptly, as if emerging from a reverie rather than waking from sleep.

"Sorry," he said.

"No problem," she said, and kissed the back of his neck. He straightened up, and soon was staring at the window frame once again. "So, what's on your mind?"

"Nothing." As she started to frown, he added, "Us. I guess. Tal and Little Rock too."

"That's `nothing'?" she said.

"Well- It's just that I was thinking... What were the chances of us ever getting together? If you hadn't been in that grocery store. If Tal and I had kept driving. If just one of us hadn't made it."

She looked at him thoughtfully. "Do you think it was_ just_ chance?" she asked.

"You mean, do I believe in God, or fate, or something like that?" She only looked at him, waiting for him to say more. "I don't know. When I was a kid, I went to church, and I believed in what they were saying. By the time I was in middle school, I would tell people I was an atheist, though I guess I never got my heart into it. Now, I guess I'm agnostic."

"Columbus?" she said. He looked at her. "I believe there's something. And I think we were meant to get together."

"I do, too," he said.

Soon they were making out. Not long after that, they were lying down, and starting to undress. "Uh... I've never done this before," Columbus said as he kissed her shoulder.

"I haven't, either," Wichita replied. He raised his head. "What?"

"Nothing... Just a bit sur- Uh. I mean, nothing."

Columbus awoke alone. The car was stopped. "Krista?" he whispered.

Little Rock sat up and smirked down at him. "Nope. Just me."

Columbus sighed and glared at the window frame. "Yeah, I know," he muttered.

As he returned to the SUV from the rest stop restroom, Wichita intercepted him. "Columbus," she said, taking his arm. He shyed away from her. "Please. Talk to me."  
"About what?" he said.

"Look, what happened- it happened. I need to know if you're okay with it."

"Why wouldn't I be?" he said nonchalantly.

"Columbus- God. I know you think I was angry. But I wasn't. Not really. But I could tell _you _were angry. C'mon. You were closer to me than anyone's ever been. I couldn't hide anything from you, and you couldn't hide that something was bothering you. So talk to me already, what's wrong?"

He blurted out, "Maybe that's it! Happy?" He took deep breaths, and then poured out: "I'm phobic! I need a lot of personal space! I want to be in control of things, especially myself! I liked being on my own! Those aren't things either of us can just switch off!"

His voice sputtered out while the voice in his mind went on: "She made you feel weak. Like an animal. Like momma did when she caught you-" He backed toward the SUV, still looking Wichita in the eye.

"Please," she said, almost whimpering. "Just tell me I can be there for you." His only response was silence. She turned and half-jogged for the facilities. He turned around, and then froze.

Little Rock smiled and continued practicing her golf swing.


	12. Savior, jerk 4: Gas and Go

**Here's part 1 of the scene I was working up to. Just this evening, I finally looked up the model and specs on the SUV used at the end of the film. When I try to put this mess together, major rewrites will be in order. For now, enjoy!**

Columbus looked more anxious than usual as Wichita pulled into the station; most obviously, he was chewing on both ends of his jacket's drawstrings. They were close to LA again, and back where the zombies were dense enough to coalesce into a swarm on short notice. Wichita got out with her Mossberg at ready. Tal grabbed hold of the gun and shouted: "Whoa! What are you doing?"

"What, are you for gun control all of a sudden?" Wichita said.

"In case you didn't notice, we aren't exactly in a shooting range here! We're standing next to a gas pump, and underneath us are big underground storage tanks. Those things are touchy even when they're empty, you know! So leave the * gun in the * car!"

"All right," Wichita said, laying the shotgun beside the steering wheel. "Columbus- Columbus!" He started in surprise. Wichita leaned a little closer, boring into him with a gaze that wavered between concern and irritation. "I said, get out and help me fill the jerry cans!"

"Yeah, I'm coming," he said, sounding distracted and distant. Wichita sighed and slammed the door. He flinched at the sound, but was more distressed by sudden words from the Voice that was in but not of his head: "This is it. This is when they all die. Again."

The jerry cans were something Tal, whose normally practical temperament was compromised by a soft spot for automotive gadgets, had found and insisted upon carrying. The Yukon SUV, whose features defied any factory specs, had a 31-gallon tank and a hybrid engine that gave 20 miles to the gallon. They did not need the five-gallon cans, any more than a sumo wrestler needed a lifetime subscription to Cheesecake of the Month. It had taken more than 400 miles of travel north and south again before they even needed to stop for gas. But Tal had insisted on picking up six of the things, and now he and Columbus had to pull them down from the luggage rack for filling. "I think the gas station could run out of fuel before we fill up," Little Rock said.

Tal handed the first can down to Columbus, and he handed it back up (with difficulty) when Wichita was done filling it. Columbus was okay until Wichita started filling the third can. He did not quite have it steady, and when she tried to start filling it gas splashed on the ground. The sound and the smell was enough to send him back...

There had been nothing he could have done. Even the Voice had never told him different. He had been at the wheel. He could have waited to help those who trusted him. But he had heard the shots, seen the swarm advancing from all directions, gone dizzy from the fumes as gas gushed from the pump like blood from a severed artery. There had been no time for him to do anything except stomp the accelerator. Even then he had barely escaped with his life. For a good while, he had wished he hadn't. "Well, you will get your wish sooner or later," said the Voice. "Oh, it probably won't be your fault. But the people you saved will die, and the only thing you will be able to do about it is die along with them. If there's really Someone to audit your accounts when you check out, the verdict will be that you might as well have never lived."

_Go to hell,_ he thought as he took the fourth can from Tal. The voice chuckled as he struggled to position the can under Wichita's increasingly stymied gaze. "I'm not going anywhere you aren't. Do we still need to go over this? And what makes you think even Hell is good enough for you? Remember _Inferno, _and the souls in Limbo: `Those nearly soulless, whose lives concluded neither blame nor praise...Scourged from Heaven, and Hell cannot receive them since the wicked might feel some glory over them... And in their blind unattaining state, they must envy every other fate.'"

He staggered as he heaved the fifth, filled can just high enough for Tal to take it the rest of the way. Wichita swore and took hold of him by the shoulders, concern vying with contempt on her face. "What the hell's wrong with you?" she shouted.

"I... think I need to sit down," he said. She guided him around to the front seat.

"Turn the stereo or the DVD player on," she said. "Or just lie back and go to sleep. Just- please- You're stronger than this. I think you could be stronger than all of us. You can't be strong all the time, but all you need to be there again is to rest and clear your head. _Please_ remember that."

"Now there," said the Voice, "goes a young lady too sweet to live."

Little Rock manned the pump to fill the final can. Once Wichita handed the can up to Tal, she sent him and her sister to look for food in the gas station while she finished filling the tank itself. "Well. Here we are again," said the Voice. He clenched his eyes shut. The Voice needled, "Are you sure that's a good idea?" He opened one eye, to see the first of a zombie pack rushing for the vehicle.


	13. Savior, jerk 5: Redemption

**I picture this accompanied by the **_**Aliens **_**score...**

Wichita paid more attention to her boyfriend than to the gas gauge, and so was taken offguard when the capacious tank started to overflow. She screeched and yanked out the nozzle, splashing gas, and with that distraction she didn't see the zombie until it was almost upon her. She emptied a tiny canister of pepper spray in its face. It gagged and staggered, and she brought it down with a kick to the knee cap, in the process splashing still more gas from the nozzle still in her hand. She lunged for the door handle, and shrieked again when she found the door was locked.

Columbus heard her pounding on the door, but he also heard and saw the zombie pounding on the window inches away. In his mind, he saw and heard many more, ghosts of memory that he could not sort out from present reality. He cringed away. In one of his usual random thoughts, he remembered something he had been told by a friend who joined the army: "Nobody freezes in combat. Even guys who crack will run, hide or surrender, not stand there."

"So basically," the Voice said by way of commentary, "you don't even have what it takes to be a _cowardly_ warrior. But you aren't freezing up because you're afraid of them. It's because you're afraid of what you know you have to do." He nodded. He did know what he had to do. He also knew he would hate himself afterward, even more than before. He started the engine. "Now there's decisive thinking."

Wichita screamed in grief and rage as the SUV peeled away, knocking aside a zombie on the driver's side. It jumped a curb turning out of the station, and only gained speed as it plowed through a gathering swarm. "Dammit, Columbus," she said through tears. Then her attention returned to the zombie beside her, as it rose and lunged for her. She thrust the nozzle into its mouth and squeezed the trigger. It stumbled back and keeled over, sneezing and spitting up gasoline.

Columbus accelerated to 20, keeping ahead of a goodly number of zombies that pursued him. "If it helps," the Voice said to Columbus, "Tal will take care of the girls."

Little Rock impulsively threw open the door and shouted to her sister. An incoming zombie slammed into it with enough force to stun itself and spiderweb the glass. Tal pulled the girl back, and drove a machete into the skull of a second zombie that grabbed for her. Unfortunately, the weapon stayed in its skull as it fell. Wichita leaped over the twitching carcass to reach the door before it swung shut. Tal threw the lock, for the negligible good that would do. They were treated to an ice cream carton's view of a grocery store as one zombie after another piled up against the glass.

A few blocks away, Columbus turned a corner and did a U-turn. The front ranks of the pursuing zombies were run down from right to left. "-And you were this close to showing some good sense," said the Voice.

Most of the glass of the storefront was already gone. Only the metal frame and the push bar of the door remained to offer resistance. Wichita swung the golf club to brain a zombie crawling through a broken pane in the store front. Little Rock struggled to push a tire rack into position. "Hurry! We can make a barricade!" she said. Her sister glanced briefly at Tal. He discretely drew a double-barrel derringer.

"I'll help," Wichita said. She joined Little Rock, keeping her back to Tal. He stepped closer. If he had been alone, he would have fought to the end. He might have won, even without a gun. But he couldn't keep the sisters safe at the same time. He took aim at the base of Little Rock's skull.

"I love you, Krista," she said. Tal knew she knew. His finger touched the trigger, only to stop, trembling.

"I love you too," Wichita answered.

"You're done," the Voice said, as the zombie swarm grew thicker. _Yup._ "Nobody lives through something like this twice." _Nope._ "Especially not with those cans on the roof. If you roll like last time, you'll go sky high upside down." _Sounds plausible._ "It's not like you're even going to save them." _I'll give them a chance._ Then he was roaring back into the station, and all was a nightmare of slamming bodies, shed blood and the smell of gasoline.

Columbus returned to awareness in the softness of Wichita's lap. _Did I make the cut to heaven?_

He opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was Tal's face. "What happened to `no more than 20', Knievel?" he said. _Nope, can't be heaven with that mug. _ "We leave you alone in the car for five minutes, and you turn into Dale Earnhardt! Except, he keeps all four wheels on the ground most of the time."

Little Rock butted in. "It was amazing! You wiped out, like, 20 zombies just in front of the gas station!'

"Where are we?" he groaned.

Wichita leaned into view. "We're ten miles out of town. We got ahead of the zombies, then stopped to make sure you were okay." He opened his mouth to speak, but she put her finger to his lips. "You saved us, Columbus, the only thing that could have. If you had waited for us to get aboard, the swarm would have been too thick for even the Caddy to drive through, even if the ones already in the parking lot hadn't gotten us first. Instead, you led most of them away, took care of the ones in the lot, and gave us a chance to get out of there before the zombies regathered."

"What... what happened to me? It's like I blacked out or something?"

Little Rock gave the answer, sounding more serious than before: "You hit your head on something when you jumped the curb in front of the gas station. You almost fell out of the car. When we unstrapped you, your eyes were open, but you weren't responding to us. Tal says you had a concussion. But he says you're going to be fine." He nodded and smiled, then closed his eyes again.

One hour earlier...

Tal came out of the service station swinging a tire in the crook of each arm, drubbing those zombies that weren't already pinned or crushed. The Caddy had stopped with two wheels on the curb, one on the asphalt and one hanging in the air. Wichita reached the driver's side door first, dispatching two zombies hanging on the Caddy. She pulled open the door and caught hold of him as he slumped and nearly fell out. Tal nearly grabbed him by the throat. "What the * were you doing, spit*?" he shouted, as the girls tried to hold him back. Columbus's gaze darted about, as if at some alien landscape he had been suddenly transported to. Then, as Wichita half-guided, half-pulled him out of the driver's seat, he started to scream.

It had taken a sedative, hastily administered while Tal raced away, to get Columbus quiet and still. "Did he get a concussion?" Wichita wondered.

Tal shook his head. "He bumped his head, but whatever happened was from the inside out. It could have been a PTSD episode. God only knows what he may have been through..."

"What do we tell him when he wakes up?" Wichita said.

Tal sighed. "He would want to know the truth. All of it."

"Yeah, but that won't be what helps him," Wichita said. "It might destroy him. We can tell him he saved us. It would make him happy, and it wouldn't be lying."

"Right," Tal said, "like we can just leave out the part about him leaving us there in the first place!"

Wichita opened her mouth for an indignant protest, but Little Rock cut in first: "It wasn't his fault!" Her sister nodded in agreement, then she added forcefully, "It was ours."

She coldly looked to her companions. "Tal- it was your idea to fill the jerry cans. It wasn't because we needed the gas- it's not like we can go 600 miles without running into a working gas station- but because you wanted to prove the cans were worth it." Wichita sneered at him contemptuously. "Wichita- you weren't a good friend to him. You got angry with him before you realized something was wrong with him, and even when you tried to comfort him you didn't come out and ask him what was the matter. On top of that, neither of you respected him. He may have a lot of goofy phobias, but he's smart, he's tuned into things and he's very good at staying alive. You should have paid attention when he started to panic, but instead you just wrote it off as more goofy Columbus. And me- I suppose I may have treated him worst of all. I knew something was wrong, and not just with him, but I cared more about checking the gum rack."

There was a long, solemn pause. Wichita wiped tears from her eyes and kissed Columbus on the forehead. Finally, she said, "Whatever else we say to him, we can't ever tell him what he said before we gave him the shot." The others nodded without hesitation.

Two hours later, Columbus still drowsed in her lap, now in a natural sleep. And while his dreams held more than a fair share of fear, shame and grief, there was no more Voice to add to his troubles, then or evermore thereafter.

**This, I think, will be it for this fic, which has definitely served its purpose in evolving the Saga. I hope the final chapters, at least, will suffice as a climax to this part of Columbus's story.**


	14. The Caddy

**Here's yet another "variant", which I thought of as a lead-in for "Gas and Go".**

Week 13, day 2

By the time Tallahassee escaped LA, the Yukon XL SUV had suffered a substantial amount of damage, including a spiderwebbed windshield. As they drove north, they entered a harsher terrain of hills and cliffs, and the zombies thinned out. Now, Tal pulled onto a narrow turnoff, where a sign said: _Hank's Offroad Autobody. _ "Where are we going?" Little Rock said.

"It's a place I heard of," Tal said, "where they do very special stuff with cars." He pulled to a stop. "Here we are. The best custom offroad vehicle shop in the country!"

Hank's garage was located on a decidedly inaccessible hilltop, as if to announce that those who could not or would not make their way there were unworthy of the shop's services. The only sign of zombie activity were the carcasses of a pack of zombies crushed by very large wheels. There builing consisted of a garage with berths for up to ten vehicles, an adjoining two-floor office, and a second building apparently filled with parts. Tal checked the office first, and found a note: _Sorry for the mess, but I had to run. Bill, the parts you requested are in, but I wasn't able to call. Tom, sorry, but I couldn't fix the manifold blockage. Arnold, your order is complete. I'm driving it to the location we agreed upon. Anyone else, take whatever you need, but make sure you know what to do with it. *Hank._

Tal cracked his knuckles. "Time to see what we can do to make Bill's SUV better."

Replacing the windshield came first, and the rest of the window followed. The warehouse had a large cache of Yukon parts, including "bullet-proof" glass. Tal made the changes with skill and speed, and excitement. Little Rock happily joined in. Meanwhile, Columbus and Wichita inspected the interior.

The SUV's insides had already been massively modified, to the point that they no longer fit any factory specs. It had a 31-gallon tank and a hybrid engine that gave 20 miles to the gallon. The middle of three rows of seats had been subtracted, and the third had been moved forward to take its place. This left an enlarged hold that had been converted into a dining/sleeping area, complete with four fold-down rumble seats, a mini-fridge, a two-burner stove and a central space to set up either a folding table or an air mattress. The Caddy also had a state-of-the-art CD/DVD player, sound system and a satellite TV receiver. Columbus flipped through channels. Wichita was indifferent. "Seventh worst thing about Zombieland," she said, "all the TV shows are in Spanish."

"Best part," Columbus said, "meeting you." They kissed. Wichita broke it off with a giggle. He looked over his shoulder to see what was showing on the screen. He blushed, while Wichita looked intrigued.

Then the signal went out.

"Wait a minute," Little Rock said to Tal. "This is the wire for the onboard computer, so what's that?"

Next came the biggest job. Tal decided to put in new wheels with heavy-duty tires, but they were so much larger than the standard ones they could only be fitted after the vehicle received a suspension lift. Tal was more than willing to do both. He raised the SUV and went about replacing the suspension and then adding the new wheels, a process which took through the afternoon. At the end, they had added a foot to the vehicle's height.

They finished by massively fortifying the front, rear and top of the SUV. A tire carrier, sufficiently sturdy to give added protection, was added over the tailgate. The roof rack was replaced with a frame that both held more and gave serious rollover protection. They replaced the bumper with one that was heavier and incorporated a winch, and also added a brush guard, a heavily built frame that covered the grill and headlights, and supported three more lights on one of the heaviest bars. Tal welded even more metal on top of these additions, giving the SUV the overall look of a warthog into body piercing. A similar frame went over the windshield. The bars were slender, but very sturdy; Little Rock jumped up and down on them without effect. A mix of red and chrome was added to the vehicle's black paint job. Little Rock came up with spirals of red and black for the hubcaps. Tal painted a wide, red diagonal stripe on each side of the vehicle.

As night approached the new morning, Tal made one more finishing touch. The grill guard had fittings for two to three lights. Tal chose- indeed had been looking for a place to use- two enormous nine-inch lamps, advertised as "the next best ting to daylight". The frame protecting the windshield was topped by a light bar. He put them at either end like Mickey Mouse ears. "Testing... Three... Two... One..." The lights filled the dark garage with more light than there would have been in the daytime. The immediate result was a sleepy but anguished cry in the back. Columbus sat up on the air mattress in back, then fell back with his hands over his eyes. Beside him, Wichita raised her head like a soldier in a foxhole, then dropped back down at the sight of Little Rock's scowling gaze.

When Tal drove out the next morning, his passengers were stonily silent. Columbus looked anxious. Wichita looked withdrawn, and perhaps disappointed. Little Rock looked angry, and undecided about whether she was more angry with Columbus or her sister. But when she saw the looks they gave each other, she smiled maliciously.

It was Columbus who finally broke the silence: "Tallahassee... you did fill up on gas while we were there, right?"

"Columbus, this thing can go 600 miles on one tank of gas. Trust me, we don't need to fill up."

"Yeah, but did you check the fuel gauge?"

Tal looked with a humoring expression. He managed to smile while gritting his teeth.


End file.
